Saturday, June 12

Red Coyote and Fitness

Classen Curve – 5800 N. Classen Blvd.

Come help us support our local running stores!

8:00am- 5k Fun Run
8:30am- 12:00pm- Mini Expo (lots of vendor with giveaways!!)
10:00am- Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
9:00am, 10:00am, 11:00am, 12:00pm- Raffles on the Hour!
(must be present to win)

Hope to see you there!

runHers style that is. Joan Benoit Samuelson made Olympic history in 1984 and hasn’t stopped since. At the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Joan supports the runHers Women’s Association as she crosses the finish line in runHers apparel. We are proud to have Joan involved with our group.

A Letter from runHers Member, Christina Eckert

So let’s talk about the “taper.” Every good half/full marathon training plan will have a taper in the last weeks leading up to race day. Basically that means you run less and rest more.  According to a review of studies on tapering published in the Journal Medicine & Science in Sports in Exercise show levels of muscle glycogen, enzymes, antioxidants and hormones which were depleted during high mileage week return to optimal levels during the taper.  Also, the muscle damage that occurs during long training is repaired.  And if that isn’t enough reason for you to be excited about the taper, your immune function and muscle strength improve during the next few weeks leading up to race day.

This is the first week of the taper so you’re far enough out where training still counts but according to Runner’s World, you should run a bit less, eat a bit more protein and fine-tune your race day plan.  They advise to stick with the same basic running schedule you’ve been following, just decrease your overall mileage by about 20 percent.  And while you may be tempted to run faster since you’re running fewer miles, don’t!  Be sure all your runs this week are at a relaxed pace (around 1-1/2 to 2 minutes slower than your marathon goal pace.)  Also avoid running extremely hilly courses or doing hard speed workouts.  As far as your nutrition, Alan Tichenal, a University of Hawaii sports nutritionists and marathon runner says, “Take in a lot of protein this week to aid in the repair and recovery of muscle tissue damaged during the high-mileage phase of marathon training.”  Aim for 75-100 grams of meat, eggs, beans, dairy and soy products.  Also load up on Vitamin C: kiwis, orange juice, red bell peppers, broccoli and strawberries.  And lastly, lysine has been shown in some studies to help further your immune system and keep you from catching a cold before the race.  It’s found mostly in meat and fish but for vegetarians can be found in wheat germ and supplements.  And don’t forget, if you haven’t bought some new running shoes during the training season, you’ll want to do that soon so you can run in them until race day.  This is also when you can focus on the mental aspects of race day.  “Think of all the problems that could arise and work through how you’ll handle them,” says Kate Hayes, longtime runner and sports psychologist.  “Doing this will provide solutions so that you won’t panic in case one of the scenarios does occur, and it reduces your anxiety because you’ll know you’re ready for any situation.”  You might mentally rehearse some of the following scenarios:  It’s hotter or colder than expected.  You start out faster or slower than goal pace.  Your old knee/hip/ankle problem acts up midrace.  Decide what you need to do in each situation to make race day the best under ANY circumstances.  Most importantly, you should all look back at how far you’ve come and how much you’ve accomplished in the last 3 months!  You are runners!

One final thought from Amby Burfoot in The Runner’s Guide to the Meaning of Life “Winning has nothing to do with racing. Most days don’t have races anyway. Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and never, ever, ever giving up.”

Letter from runHers member, Christina Eckert

There is a little more than a month until the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon.  One thing we will all face during the race… Classen Road and the other hills along the course.  So it’s a good idea to do some work on hills during your training.  That forces your muscles to work differently, but ultimately leads to more power in your legs and longer faster running strides.  When you see the big hill, don’t wince.  Focus. Mentally and physically attack the hill.  Don’t let it attack you.  Run On out of Dallas offers some tips for conquering the hills.

• As you start uphill, shorten your stride. Don’t try to maintain the pace you were running on the flat.
• You are aiming for equal effort going up as well as down, not equal pace. Trying to maintain the pace you were running on the flat will leave you exhausted later in the race or session.
• Take ‘baby steps’ if necessary and try to keep the same turnover rhythm that you had on the flat ground.
• Your posture should be upright – don’t lean forward or back – your head, shoulders and back should form a straight line over the feet. Keep your feet low to the ground.
• If your breathing begins to quicken it means that you’re either going too fast, over-striding or bounding too far off the ground as you run.
• Then don’t forget about the downhill.  Many runners either sprint or try to brake the whole way down the hill.  Here are some downhill tips:
• Try to visualise gravity pulling you down the hill.
• Try to maintain an upright body posture, keeping your torso perpendicular to the horizontal.
• Keep your feet close to the ground for maximum control, and land lightly.
• As you increase your pace, emphasise quicker turnover rather than longer strides, though your strides can be slightly longer than normal.
• The key to efficient downhill running is to stay in control. When you start, keep your stride slightly shortened and let your turnover increase. When you feel in control, gradually lengthen your stride.
• If you start to run out of control when descending, shorten your stride until you feel you are back in control again.

Frank Shorter, the American distance runner who won a gold medal at the 1972 Olympics, used to say, “Hills are speedwork in disguise.” This is because the muscle groups you use to get up hills are the same ones you use to sprint. So, not only will hills make you faster overall, there are other benefits:

• It increases your cardio endurance by making your heart work hard… and running uphill makes you out of breath.  That’s a great thing for your lungs, believe it or not. Getting out of breath increases your lung capacity.
• It really works the lower body. It strengthens the muscles around the knees and helps prevent injuries.
• It strengthens the quads and hamstrings much more than running or walking on flat ground. Think “great legs and great rear.”
• Hill workouts make you mentally tough. They push you past your comfort zone. When you ignore the temptations to quit, you find out you are stronger and tougher than you thought you were…  and you realize there’s nothing you can’t accomplish!

One last note, Brooks Sports has the slogan “Run Happy” and I encourage each of you to think of that in the next few weeks.  I think many times we get wrapped up in training and running becomes something we HAVE to do… a chore.  So I am working on my new frame of mind… focusing on how blessed I am to be healthy and able to run!  Here are some more ideas on how you too can run happy (also from Run On)

• Run in a new place. There’s no better way to take in the beauty of spring than by heading outside
• Run with friends. Talk, laugh, and enjoy each others’ company.
• Run alone. Sometimes that’s the best way to let go of stress.
• Run fast. Appreciate how strong you are and what you are capable of doing. (Look how far you’ve already come this training season!)
• Run with a purpose. Training for a race gives you a sense of accomplishment that will transcend into other areas of your life.

I’ll leave you with one last quote from the Runners Gazette, “The secret shared by women runners: running is not just physical exercise but a spiritual, mental, and emotional journey.”

Christina Eckert

Thank you for all your support! We look forward to an awesome run for our Princesses on Sunday afternoon!

It’s a short post this week. I hope everyone is having a wonderful Spring Break!